


The Dark Side Of The Club

by Sadistic_Writer_Of_FanFiction



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Attempted Sexual Assault, Caleb's A Perv, Comfort, Crying, Dissociation, Friendship, Hugs, Hurt Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms), Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, Inappropriate Behavior, Mild Blood, Non-Consensual Touching, Reggie Peters Angst (Julie and The Phantoms), Reggie Peters Has Bad Parents (Julie and The Phantoms), Reggie Peters Whump (Julie and The Phantoms), Sad, Sexual Harassment, Slight fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-12 22:13:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29017971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sadistic_Writer_Of_FanFiction/pseuds/Sadistic_Writer_Of_FanFiction
Summary: Reggie didn’t want to be there. Didn’t want to feel the hand slowly snaking its way up his thigh, the ghost of his breath against his neck. Another hand trailing up his shirt, touching him in ways he never let anyone touch him before. He was scared, and Caleb used that to his advantage.After the boys get to the Hollywood Ghost Club, Caleb corners Reggie and attempts to get with him. Luke and Alex catch him in the act and protect their friend.
Comments: 14
Kudos: 74





	1. Attack

Wrong.

Everything was so, so wrong. Reggie didn’t want to be there. Didn’t want to feel the hand slowly snaking its way up his thigh, the ghost of his breath against his neck. Another hand trailing up his shirt, touching him in ways he never let anyone touch him before. Not that he was letting this happen. He was scared.

So scared.

He couldn’t move. Caleb used his fear to his advantage. He wrapped an arm around the teen, before casually dragging him from the main area of the club to a more secluded back room. He shoved Reggie down onto a plush couch, before climbing on top of him, arms propping him up on either side of Reggie’s head. There was a knee between his thighs, dangerously close to his body. The other leg pressed firmly against the outside of his right thigh. 

“Don’t be scared, Reggie.” Caleb whispered, inching his face closer to the boy. “You got nothing to lose. Just relax, baby.” 

With that, Caleb dipped down and captured Reggie’s unwilling lips into a searing kiss. He bit at Reggie’s bottom lip, and shoved his tongue into his mouth when he let out a light gasp at the pain. 

Reggie reached up and tried to push the man off of him, but Caleb retaliated by pulling back and pinning his wrists above his head. 

“Stop. Please. Stop.” Reggie gasped, tears slowly rolling down his flushed cheeks. 

Caleb looked at him blankly. “No.”

With that, the older man snaked a hand up Reggie’s shirt, his cold hands leaving burning trails up Reggie’s skin. He pressed bruising kisses up and down his throat, biting down so hard on Reggie’s collarbones, the boy was sure he’d draw blood. 

After a few moments, it was like Reggie had shut down. He stopped trying to wiggle his wrists out of Caleb’s vice-like grip, stopped trying to roll around. He just… froze. He lay there limply, staring off into the distance, praying to whatever was out there that this torture would end soon. He could feel hands on his waist, undoing his jeans. He could feel lips biting and sucking at his skin. But he felt it all in a muted way, like he wasn’t really there. Maybe if he tried hard enough, he could pretend he wasn’t there at all. That this was all just a horrible nightmare. That he’d wake up on the couch in the studio, afraid but safe. 

* * *

  
  


“Alex! Alex, we’re late for Julie’s dance. It’s way past midnight and we were supposed to be there three hours ago.”

“I know. I was just looking for you and Reggie. I couldn’t spot Willie anywhere…” Alex replied, worry lacing his tone. 

“I’ve looked all over the place for Reggie,” Luke rushed out, running an agitated hand through his shaggy hair, “I can’t find him. It’s like he disappeared.”

“Well he’s gotta be somewhere. Maybe he strayed into the back? I remember Willie saying something about there being some back rooms.”

“Maybe… let’s go check it out.” Luke replied.

The two boys slipped behind the curtains into the backstage area. From there they slinked along the wall until they found an unassuming door. Glancing at each other, they nodded before pushing it open and sneaking in. The sight that met them would haunt them forever.

Reggie lay there, eyes unseeing, body limp like a ragdoll. Caleb hovering over him, one hand up the teen’s shirt and the other down his pants. Silent tears ran down Reggie’s pale face, soaking into the collar of his shirt, which had been pushed up far enough to expose his chest. 

“Get off of him!” Luke roared, lurching forward to pull the man off of his friend. 

Alex rushed over to help, angrily muttering expletives under his breath as the two boys wrenched Caleb Covington off of Reggie. 

“Now boys,” Caleb started, smoothly. “This isn’t what it looks like. Reginald and I were just enjoying one another’s company. You can respect that, can’t you?”

“No!” They exclaimed.

“Dude… you’re like, forty-five and you’re perving on a seventeen year old.” Luke said in disgust.

“Yeah… he can’t even consent to that. He’s underage. Besides, what we just saw… no way was that consensual.” Alex added on, as he moved to stand in front of Reggie, arms crossed in fury. 

“Aw, don’t be like that now. We’re ghosts, age doesn’t matter here. Besides, Reggie wanted it. He may not want to admit it, but he was into it, weren’t you baby?” Caleb dismissed, looking over at the boy’s prone form, lust still evident on his face.

Reggie didn’t reply. He didn’t even flinch. He just continued to lay there, untethered from reality. 

“Don’t you ever touch him again. Don’t even think about him.” Luke snarled, getting up in Caleb’s face, pressing an accusing finger into the older man’s chest. 

“And if I do?” Caleb asked, voice smug with self assurance. He thought he was untouchable. He was Caleb Covington. He was powerful, and it showed in the way he carried himself.

“I’ll destroy you. I  _ will _ find a way to get rid of you. When it comes to my friends, nothing will stop me from protecting them. Have no doubt that I’ll wipe you out. Reggie is our friend. We’ll protect him with everything we have.” Luke threatened, voice filled with conviction.

“You don’t want to try us.” Alex confirmed. 

“Oh well. It was fun while it lasted. He’s easily replaceable anyways.” Caleb dismissed, before poofing out with a flourish. 

Luke and Alex shot each other a look of irritated disgust at Covington’s casual demeanor, before turning to Reggie, who had only managed to curl into himself. His body shook with restrained sobs. Luke surged forward, desperate to comfort his friend. Alex grabbed his arm at the last second, shaking his head. 

“Hey Reggie. It’s Alex and Luke. Caleb is gone. You’re safe now. We got you.” Alex placated, kneeling a short distance from the couch.

Luke followed Alex’s lead, sitting an equal distance from Reggie.

“Yeah Reg. We’re here now. You’re gonna be okay.”

“Do you want to go home now?” Alex asked, keeping his voice soft. 

Reggie gave a small nod.

“Okay do you want to uhm… get yourself fixed up?” Luke asked, cringing at the wording, but not knowing how else to ask his friend if he wanted to make himself a little more decent. He figured Reggie wouldn’t want anyone else to see him in his state of partial undress.

Reggie gave another little nod.

“Do you want us to turn around?” Alex asked. 

“Please.” Reggie whispered. 

Luke and Alex promptly stood up and turned away. They wouldn’t let anyone else accidentally see him like this. After a couple of tense minutes, Reggie gave an especially loud and frustrated sob. He cursed audibly, and the other two boys raised their eyebrows at that. Reggie wasn’t a fan of swearing, seeing as his parents swore around him enough when he was living at home. 

“Reg?” Luke called out.

“You okay?” Alex finished. 

“No.” He hesitantly admitted. “My hands are shaking so freaking bad that I can’t do my jeans up.” 

“Are you okay with poofing back home without doing them up?” Luke asked.

“Not really.” Reggie replied. “Alex… can… would you…”

“I got you buddy.” He agreed. “I’m gonna turn around now, okay?”

After receiving an affirmative hum from Reggie, Alex went to the other teen. He warned him before he began to do up his pants. As soon as he was done, he quickly stepped back, letting Reggie have some space. 

“Can we go now? Please?” Reggie begged. 

Luke and Alex nodded. Together they poofed out, landing back at the studio. Thankfully, everyone arrived with the same amount of clothing that they had left with. 

Upon arriving, Reggie promptly crashed in the loft.

“We should give him some privacy.” Luke said, heading towards the couch. 

“Yeah. You think he’ll be okay?”

“I think so. He’s Reggie. He’s strong. He’ll get through it. Besides, he has us and Julie.”

Alex contemplated this. He nodded slowly in agreement, sending a quick worried look in Reggie’s direction. Sighing, he collapsed next to Luke on the couch. 

“We’re gonna be okay… right?” Alex questioned, trying to quell his rising anxiety.

Luke didn’t reply.


	2. Aftermath

“I just let him touch me like that…”

“You didn’t  _ let _ him, Reg. You were scared. It’s okay that you got scared.” Alex assured him.

“I just laid there and took it. Like a—”

“Don’t even  _ think _ about finishing that sentence.” Luke cut him off.

“Why didn’t I poof out? I just froze.” Reggie mumbled on, angrily. He was currently pacing so hard he put Alex’s ‘runway walks’ to shame. “Stupid. Stupid.”

“Reg—” 

“Why did I let things get so far?” Reggie continued, barely hearing his friend’s attempts at comfort. He continued to ramble, going on about how worthless and used he felt. Self-blame filling his voice. 

“Reggie.” Luke called. He repeated himself again when he got no indication that his friend was listening to him. “Reg. Reggie.” He looked over helplessly at Alex, trying to will the other boy into doing something, using just his facial expressions. Alex sighed, but understood the message Luke was trying to convey.

“Reginald. Listen to us.” Alex said, sternly yet not unkindly. 

Reggie flinched back, as if he’d been hit. Alex shuddered at the thought of scaring his friend the way he did. But his concern for Reggie outweighed his guilt. 

“Reggie we need you to take a breath and calm down a little. You’re gonna end up hurting yourself or making yourself sick.” Alex continued on, gently.

“I’d deserve it.” Reggie said, under his breath. 

“What was that?” Luke asked, disapproval apparent in his tone of voice.

“Nothing.”

“Listen Reg,” Alex cut in, before either boy could get too heated about the self deprecating comment Reggie had made. “What happened was not your fault. This is all on  _ him _ . Okay?”

“But—” 

“No buts. This wasn’t your fault. We’ll keep telling you that until you believe it.” Alex interrupted. 

“Yeah dude. You may doubt us, but we’re just telling you the truth. We don’t want you blaming yourself for someone else’s actions.” Luke piped up. 

Reggie looked at his friends, swallowing thickly. He tried not to let the tears welling up in his eyes spill over onto his cheeks. He lightly pinched at the corners of his eyes, keeping his head down, taking a deep breath to help regulate his emotions. 

“I—” He faltered. “I need another shower.” Reggie stormed off towards the bathroom, to take his third shower of the day.

Taking a shower as a ghost was, for lack of a better word, complicated. The water didn’t go through him, just like how when he goes to sit on furniture he doesn’t just fall through. But as a ghost, he didn’t really have a need to take showers, since they never got dirty. Reggie enjoyed showers, the hot water and steam usually made him feel better. Now he was using the shower as an escape from his feelings. 

The other boys heard the telltale squeak of water rushing through the pipes, and then the sound of it hitting tile. 

“He’s not okay.” Alex said, wringing his hands nervously.

“Hey!” Luke yelled at the closed door. “No more than twenty minutes max this time. If you’re not out here at…”

“One thirty-two” Alex supplied.

“One thirty-two then Alex and I will poof you out of there whether you like it or not.” Luke finished, trying to threaten his friend without really scaring him. 

“I hope he doesn’t do that thing where he scrubs his skin until he bleeds.” Alex sighed, worry for his friend weighing heavily on his heart. “I just hate seeing him like this.” 

“I know. I hate it too. I haven’t seen him this bad since right before he left home.” Luke replied. 

“This is his third comfort shower of the day, Luke. Did you see his wrists after his last one? They were practically raw. I didn’t even know ghosts could bleed.”

“Yeah… that was concerning.” 

A heavy silence fell over the two friends as they made their way back to the couch. Luke fiddled with a guitar pick, repetitively tapping each finger to the face of the plastic. Alex spun his drumstick between his fingers, the motion preventing his hands from shaking too badly. The atmosphere was tense, like a cloud had settled over the studio. Neither boy spoke, each dwelling in their own mixture of emotions. Anger, worry, sadness, fear. A cocktail of unpleasant feelings that dampened their safe haven. 

Meanwhile, Reggie stood under the too hot spray of water, allowing the scalding liquid to pelt him as he rubbed his skin until it began to flake off. He paid extra attention to his hips, chest, and wrists; the areas where he could still  _ feel _ Caleb’s touch. It was like a spider crawling on him, even though it was gone, it still left tingles of discomfort. His scrubbing resulted in reopening the wounds on his wrists, the stray beads of blood mixing with the water, staining his skin pink before getting washed away. He hadn’t done too much damage to the rest of his body, but he definitely had more scratches and welts than he did before his shower. 

“I just want to wash away the shame.” He whispered to himself, tears finally spilling onto his cheeks. Even though he was alone, Reggie pretended the droplets were from the shower, and not his sorrow. 

Not knowing how long he’d been in there for, Reggie figured sooner was better than later for him to shut off the water. The last thing he needed right now was his best friends coming in and seeing him like this. He dried off, and redressed. He took a deep breath, steeled his nerves, and finally emerged from the bathroom. He shivered at the wall of cold air that hit him, before he tucked his hands in his armpits and joined Luke and Alex on the couch. 

“Reggie…” Alex hesitantly started, not wanting to upset his friend but needing to know the boy was okay. “Can I see your wrists?”

Wordlessly Reggie shoved his arms at Alex, ducking his head in shame. Carefully, Alex pushed the flannel up, enough to see the splotchy skin that hid beneath it. He wasn’t still bleeding, but it was evident that he had been. It looked worse than before. 

“Oh Reg.” Alex sighed, wearily. “Let’s get you fixed up.” 

After Alex had successfully dressed Reggie’s wounds, they made their way back to the couch. Luke hadn’t helped, not knowing what to do and recognizing that Reggie didn’t need to be crowded at the moment. 

“This needs to stop Reggie. Before it gets worse. We love you and don’t want to see you hurting.” Alex said. 

“I know.” 

“We’re not angry. We just don’t like seeing you like this.” Luke added, softly. 

“I—I know.” Reggie replied. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. But we forgive you anyway.” Alex told him. 

“Thank you. For being there for me. I know this must not be easy for you guys.” Reggie whispered, voice crackling with emotion.

“Anytime, bro. We’ll always be there for you.”

“And we know you’d do the same for us.” Alex added on. 

The room lapsed back into silence, albeit a little less tense than it was before. Now they had Reggie, who wasn’t currently hiding or hurting himself. It was a small comfort, but a comfort in the very least. 

“Do you think Julie’s mad at me?” Reggie asked, voice so very small and timid. It was the voice he’d use every time he’d run from home for the night, asking his bandmates for permission to crash at their places. 

“Never. Julie understands what happened. She’s sorry it happened. You don’t have to worry about her.” Luke assured him.

“She knows it was out of our control, and that this isn’t your fault. She doesn’t care about the dance nearly as much as she cares about you.” 

“Are you sure?” 

“We’re sure.” They said in unison, which managed to bring a small smile to Reggie’s lips. He’d always liked when the band was so in sync, they’d say things or do things at the exact same time. It was almost like they shared the same brain… or at the very least, the same brain cell. 

“What am I going to do?” Reggie asked softly, defeat painted across his face.

“What do you mean?” Luke asked.

“I know I’m dead but… how do I live like this?”

“Reggie… you’re going to make it through this. You’re not broken, or tainted, or any less of a person than you were before. I know you don’t believe us right now, so we’ll believe it enough for the three of us. You’re stronger than you think you are. We love you. You’re going to be okay. I promise.” Alex said, ever the one for emotional support.

“Alex is right. You’re still our Reggie Peters. Amazing bassist, even better friend. The guy who lights up a room just by walking in. Yeah, something terrible happened but… you’re still here. That’s what’s important. You’re here and you’re safe now. We’ll never let anything happen like this ever again. I swear.” Luke said, with conviction. He had to restrain himself from grabbing Reggie’s hand, settling for tightly gripping the edge of the couch cushion. 

Reggie let out a wet laugh, before thanking his friends for being by his side. For supporting him even if he can’t grasp that what they’re saying is true. For believing him. 

“Can… can we try a band hug? Just the three of us?” Reggie stuttered.

Wordlessly, they stood up and opened their arms. Reggie sunk into Alex, the taller boy resting his chin on Reggie’s head, and Luke engulfed him from behind, his head on Reggie’s shoulder. Reggie smushed his face into the soft pink fabric of Alex’s hoodie, attempting to muffle his sniffles. He was expecting to feel trapped and uncomfortable, but the tight cuddle was oddly grounding, and provided comfort, rather than pain. He felt safe there, in his best friend’s arms, like nothing bad could happen when he was with those two. 

After a couple moments, he pulled away, and the boys let him, with no lingering touch. Reggie was grateful for that, and he discreetly wiped at his eyes. Alex and Luke pretended not to notice the tears.

“I think I’m going to go talk to Julie. Maybe not about what happened, but I think I’d just like to see her. If that’s alright?” Reggie said, looking between the two.

“Yeah man, go for it.” Luke encouraged, a bright smile on his face.

“I think she’d like that. She was worried about you but wanted to give you some space. She’d appreciate knowing and seeing for herself that you’re doing okay.” Alex smiled.

He nodded at that, a small smile forming on his face. Then, with a small ‘poof’ Reggie was gone. 

“He’s going to be okay. I know it.” Alex said, before noting the slight frown that had suddenly appeared on Luke’s face after the departure of Reggie. “What’s up?”

“It’s just… Caleb.” Luke grunted out.

“What about him?”

“We’re gonna make him pay. I swear.” 

“How?”

“I don’t know yet.” Luke paused, then continued with conviction. “But we will.”

**Author's Note:**

> Despite being based on their first visit to the Hollywood Ghost Club, this work was inspired by the line in "Nothing To Lose" where Caleb sings "Reggie, swing it, baby". It just struck me as so creepy and lowkey sexual.


End file.
